Peters to Praise Obamacare Friday in Bloomfield Hills, Protest Rally to Challenge His Liberal, Big Government Vote

PROTEST TO GREET U.S. REP. GARY PETERS FRIDAY AS HE BRIEFS BUSINESS LEADERS
ON PASSAGE OF OBAMACARE
Outrage Continues with Peters’ Pro-Washington, Anti-Taxpayer Record

Tomorrow, Friday, April 30, 2010, tea party activists and concerned citizens will greet U.S. Representative Gary Peters (D-MI09) with a ‘pink slip’ rally outside his speaking engagement as he appears before a group of business leaders sponsored by UBS regarding the passage of the Obama-Pelosi-Peters federal healthcare takeover law. The rally will also be in support of the Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom statewide referendum petition drive. The rally will take place from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.

The rally/protest will take place at:

The Iroquois Club
43248 Woodward Avenue (just north of Square Lake Road)
Bloomfield Township, Michigan

Conservative Victory Rally May 8 - Join Ralph Reed of Faith & Freedom Coalition @ Complimentary Event

OAKLAND COUNTY CONSERVATIVES
&
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN CONSERVATIVES

CONSERVATIVE VICTORY RALLY 2010
Join us as we rally and prepare for a pro-life, pro-family and fiscally conservative victory in the 2010 elections.

Featuring

RALPH REED
Chairman of
FAITH AND FREEDOM COALITION

The Goals of Faith and Freedom Coalition are:
Never before has it been more critical for us to speak out for our values. That is why the Faith and Freedom Coalition is committed to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens. Together we will influence public policy and enact legislation that strengthens families, promotes time-honored values, protects the dignity of life and marriage, lowers the tax burden on small business and families, and requires government to tighten its belt and live within its means.

Saturday, May 8, 2010
10 - 11:30 AM

Zion Christian Church *
3668 Livernois Rd, Troy
(North of Big Beaver Road and south of Wattles Road - See map links below)
* Zion Christian Church, its staff and its members are not affiliated with or have endorsed the Faith and Freedom Coalition nor any affiliates of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

THIS IS A COMPLIMENTARY EVENT - NO COST TO ATTEND.
BRING FAMILY/FRIENDS/NEIGHBORS

WEBSITES:
Faith and Freedom Coalition
Home Page - http://www.ffcoalition.org

Discussion on President Obama's Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination, Join Thursday Conference Call

CONFERENCE CALL

Please Join
Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), Jordan Sekulow,Human Rights Attorney andDirector of International Operations for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)
And
Angela Sailor, RNC Coalitions Director

What: Discussion on President Obama’s Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

When: Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 4:00 PM EDT

Where: Dial-In Number: 888-566-2143 Code: 4743829

Big Momentum: Healthcare Freedom Petition Drive Expands - Get Yours Today!

'Opt Out' of Obamacare Healthcare Freedom Petition Drive Launched, Get Your Petition to Circulate Today!
STAND UP TO THE OBAMA-PELOSI-PETERS HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER SCHEME
Petition Referendum Launched to Allow Citizens to ‘Opt Out’ of Obamacare

Healthcare Freedom petition drive has launched! We need 500,000 valid signatures by June, 2010. If we receive enough signatures the issue will be placed on the ballot in November. If voters approve the referendum, citizens of Michigan will be allowed to ‘opt out’ of Obamacare thereby guaranteeing their healthcare freedoms and options ---without government interference.

Pick up your petitions to circulate to friends/family/neighbors at:

BLOOMFIELD HILLS: Oakland Fix Michigan Center/Oakland County Republican Party, 42611Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills. You can just drop in or you may call Jessica Corbett at 517-977-7752.

ORION TOWNSHIP: Jacobsen’s Flowers, Inc., 545 S. Lapeer Road, Lake Orion (open Monday – Friday 9 AM – 5:30 PM, Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM).

ROCHESTER HILLS: Call Jim Duistermars at 248-853-0172.

TROY: Knollenberg Agency – Allstate Insurance, 198 East Big Beaver Road, Troy (open Monday – Friday 9 AM – 5 PM).

WATERFORD: Call Dennis Pittman at 248-866-2562.



You may drop off your completed petitions with the same people/locations or you can mail them in. For more information, visit www.michiganhcf.com.

Best Pricing Ends AFTER Today for Reagan Dinner to see/hear/meet Sen. Rick Santorum May 4 in Troy

9TH Congressional District Republican Party

Presents

Southeast Michigan
Ronald Reagan Memorial Dinner 2010

Featuring

The Honorable Rick Santorum
Former United States Senator, Fox News Contributor

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Doors open – 5:30 PM
General Reception – 6:00 PM; Dinner Program – 7:00 PM

Petruzzello’s Banquet Center
6950 Rochester Road ● Troy ● Michigan

Prepaid dinner tickets: $55 per person
($65 per person postmark after April 23rd)

VIP Reception with speaker:
$100 per person (includes dinner)

Private Senatorial Reception (Private Reception w/ Senator Santorum, receive photo, seating at head table): $1000 per person; $1250 per couple

Serve on Host Committee: Buy/sell $300 in tickets/ad book sales

Please mail your personal check to:
9th District Republican Committee, P. O. Box 4553, Troy, MI 48099

FOR UPDATES, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.MI9THGOP.COM.
CONTACT US AT MI9THGOP@GMAIL.COM OR CALL 248-410-8651

PAID FOR WITH REGULATED FUNDS BY: 9TH DISTRICT REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE

GOP House Members Call for Earmark Action; In other News U.S. Rep. Gary Peters Continues to Spend Massive Amounts of Federal Dollars on Chinese Credit

April 22, 2010, 7:36 pm House Repubs Call For Earmark Action
By BERNIE BECKER
A group of top House Republicans on Thursday called on their Democratic counterparts to team up for a one-year moratorium on all earmarks, with the savings shifted to pay down part of the deficit.

At a news conference, John Boehner, the House minority leader, and other Republicans said Americans saw earmarks – which allow individual lawmakers to set aside money for pet projects – as a symbol of government run amok and called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on their proposal.

“Most Americans know that the earmark issue is emblematic of a greater problem in Washington,” said Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 Republican in the House. “That Washington’s spending too much, it’s incurring too much debt, bringing on the need for higher taxes.”

House Republicans appear to be fairly unified on the resolution — Representative Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, who introduced the measure, said during the news conference that it had 164 co-sponsors and that Republicans in the chamber had “built considerable momentum on the issue.” But a top House Democrat slammed the resolution on Thursday, and earmarking appears to still be much in favor in the Senate.

House Republicans last month agreed to give up all earmarks — which make up a small portion of federal spending — for the next year. That move came as House Democratic leaders were swearing off awarding earmarks to for-profit companies.

Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, said on Thursday that the Republicans’ new plan would give the executive branch too much power in deciding which projects get funded. And the zeal to take on earmarks does not seem to have caught on in the Senate, even as high-profile senators like Jim DeMint and John McCain have railed against the practice.

Mr. Boehner, for his part, did not seem all that concerned that his Republican colleagues in the Senate don’t seem too keen on tackling earmarks.

“Why don’t we fix one chamber at a time?” asked Mr. Boehner, an Ohio Republican. “And I think if Senate or House Democrats were to join us, I’m sure the Senate would take notice.”

The new resolution also calls on Congress to create a bipartisan commission with members from both chambers that would examine earmarks and the budget in general.

Mr. Boehner, when asked about Mr. Hoyer’s criticisms of the Republican proposal, said the commission would “look at a more responsible way for us to do our duty to our constituents in terms of how to do these earmarks that passes the straight face test. The current process doesn’t.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/house-repubs-call-for-earmark-action/?src=twt&twt=thecaucus

Discussion on President Obama’s Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

CONFERENCE CALL

Please Join
Curt Levey, Executive Director of the Committee for Justice and former head of the Title IX policy group at the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights
And
Angela Sailor, RNC Coalitions Director

What: Discussion on President Obama’s
Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

When: Today at 4:00 PM EDT

Where: Dial-In Number: 888-566-2143 Code: 4743829

RSVP: Please Click Here to RSVP



Republican National Committee | 310 First Street, SE | Washington, D.C.20003
p: 202.863.8500 | f: 202.863.8820 | e: info@gop.com
Paid for by the Republican National Committee.
310 First Street, SE - Washington, D.C.20003 - (202) 863-8500
www.gop.com
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee

Why You Cannot Trust Democrats: 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
About The Obama-Dodd Permanent Bailout Bill
For Wall Street Banks

View This Research Briefing At GOP.com
Follow RNC Research on Twitter
Learn More in our "Stomping Grounds" Blog

1. Obama-Dodd Bill Creates $50 Billion Permanent Bailout Fund That Senate Democrats Plan To Keep.(Page 277, S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act Of 2010, Introduced 4/15/10; Carrie Budoff Brown, "Dems Stand By $50B Fund," Politico, 4/19/10)

2. Obama-Dodd Bill Could Lead To More Taxpayer-Funded Bailouts By Expanding Federal Reserve's Power To Establish "Policies And Procedures Governing Emergency Lending."(Page 1365, S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act Of 2010, Introduced 4/15/10)

3. Obama-Dodd Bill Could Make Taxpayer-Funded Bailouts Even More Expensive By Allowing FDIC To Make "Additional Payments" To Firms That Backed Failed Financial Companies. (Page 245, S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act Of 2010, Introduced 4/15/10)

4. Obama-Dodd Bill Uses Taxpayer Dollars To Guarantee Debt Of Banks And Bank Holding Companies Through The Power Of The Federal Reserve And FDIC.(Page 1379, S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act Of 2010, Introduced 4/15/10)

5. Obama-Dodd Bill Could Institutionalize Bailouts By Allowing A New Financial Oversight Council To Determine Which Companies Are "Too Big To Fail."(Page 35, S. 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act Of 2010, Introduced 4/15/10)

6. Federal Trade Commission Fears That Obama-Dodd Bill Could Have "Overall Result" Of "Less Protection For Consumers, And Fewer 'Cops On The Beat.'" (Federal Trade Commission, Letter To Sen. Hutchison, 4/16/10)

Pew Poll: Trust In Government Hits Near-Historic Low; U.S. Rep. Gary Peters Still in Hiding after Vote in Favor of Healthcare Takeover Scheme

by Liz Halloran



Explore The Results: Americans' Distrust Of Government
text size A A A April 18, 2010 Americans' trust in government and its institutions has plummeted to a near-historic low, according to a sobering new survey by the Pew Research Center.

Only 22 percent of Americans surveyed by Pew say they can trust government in Washington "almost always or most of the time" -- among the lowest measures in the half-century since pollsters have been asking the question.

And an increasing number -- almost 1 of every 3 people -- say they believe government is a major threat to their personal freedoms and want federal power reined in.

Pew asked people to say whether they were content, frustrated or angry with the federal government -- and 3 of every 4 people said they were either frustrated or angry.

The public's unalloyed hostility flows from what Pew Center Director Andrew Kohut characterizes as a perfect storm of conditions: a bad economy, backlash against Washington partisanship and "epic discontent" with elected officials that found fuel in this year's bitter health care debate.

"Health care reform contributed in the second half of last year to this growing concern about the power of government," Kohut tells NPR.

"The public," he says, "wants a less activist government."

Kohut says measures of trust typically decline during Democratic administrations. Indeed, some of the previous lows in trust of government, as measured since 1958, were recorded during the Clinton and Carter administrations.

At A Glance: Key Survey Findings
Just 22 percent of Americans say they can trust the government in Washington almost always or most of the time, among the lowest measures in a half-century.


Public hostility toward government seems likely to favor Republicans in the midterm elections this fall. But favorable ratings for both major parties, as well as Congress, have reached record lows.


The proportion of Americans who say they are "angry" with the federal government has doubled since 2000, increasing from 10 percent to 20 percent.


Independents who are highly frustrated with government are highly committed to voting this year, and they favor the GOP candidates in their district by a margin of 66 percent to 13 percent.


Explore More Of The Findings

Source: Pew Research Center But the trust numbers were even lower at the close of the George W. Bush administration, dipping below 20 percent.

The current sour mood is expected to favor out-of-power Republicans in the fall midterm elections. But there's a caveat that should give pause to those on both sides of the aisle: Pew also found that the number of Americans who view Congress favorably declined by half over the past year, to 25 percent, the lowest Pew has ever recorded.

Americans, Kohut says, have a "relentlessly" negative view of Congress.

How Bad?

The results of the Pew survey, conducted in March, were so startlingly grim that Kohut says the organization did three follow-up surveys to verify its findings.

"We were concerned that we were getting a misread," Kohut told NPR's Steve Inskeep, because the original sample was taken during the height of the health-care debate in Congress.

Kohut's interview with Inskeep will air Monday on Morning Edition.

But Pew's additional surveys showed largely the same results: a disaffected and increasingly angry populace, disillusioned with state and federal government, as well as with federal departments ranging from the Food and Drug Administration to the Department of Education.

The mistrust that is permeating the electorate, Kohut says, is "about government writ large."

Measuring Anger

Pew surveys dating from 1997 show that an average of about 55 percent of Americans typically express frustration about the federal government, with the exception of a temporary spike in trust after Sept. 11.

In the current survey, 56 percent say they feel frustrated by the federal government. The big difference this time, according to the Pew survey, is the growing numbers who expressed "intense anti-government views."

The proportion of Americans who say they are angry has doubled since 2000. Now at 21 percent, it tops the previous high of 20 percent in 2006.

"The percentage who are angry is still small," Kohut says, "but it's twice as much as it was back in the late 1990s."

Pew found that intense anti-government sentiment is concentrated among Republicans, independents and others who lean Republican, as well as those who agree with the Tea Party movement.

Anti-government animus is particularly intense among the 30 percent of those surveyed who say that "government is a major threat to my personal freedoms," Kohut says.

Those numbers among people who identify with the Tea Party movement "go through the roof," he says. Fifty-seven percent in that group say the government is a major threat to them, and 43 percent say they are angry with the federal government.

Those negative feelings far outpace the view of traditional Republicans, 43 percent of whom said government is a major threat, and 30 percent who described themselves as angry. By contrast, 18 percent of Democrats view the government as a major threat, and only 9 percent say they are angry with the federal government.

Key Voters: Independents

The Democrats have several big worries going into the fall elections: growing disaffection among independents, and expected high turnout among those who are the angriest -- and thus most motivated.

"The Democrats and liberals have been politically asleep when we talk about the intensity of their views," Kohut says. "There's just no comparison."

Independents who are "highly frustrated with government are highly committed to voting this year," he says. "And they favor the Republican candidates in their districts by an overwhelming 66-to-13 percent margin."

The survey also found that about a third of independents who lean Republican said that the Tea Party best reflects their view, with about the same number saying the Republican Party fits the bill.

Interestingly, only half of self-identified Republicans say their party best represents their views, with close to a third saying they believe their leanings are better reflected by the Tea Party.

The past year's backlash against government may be best illustrated by a couple of statistics, Kohut says.

Before President Obama took office last year, the public was "pretty much evenly divided" about what size government the country needed, with 42 percent advocating for a smaller government and 43 percent for a bigger one.

Now, 50 percent of those surveyed want a smaller government; 39 percent want a bigger one that provides more services. That comes even as 61 percent of those surveyed say they think stricter regulation of financial companies is a good idea -- up from 54 percent in October of last year.

"We've had some backlash," Kohut says. "Washington and politics have poisoned the well in terms of trust in government."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126047343&f=1014&sc=tw

Get Briefed by Rep. Tom McMillin in Berkley on Monday @ 7 PM @ Berkley High School on Petition Drive to Allow Citizens to 'Opt Out' of Obamacare

THE BERKLEY/ROYAL OAK REPUBLICAN FORUM PRESENTS:

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

TOM McMILLIN!!

State Representative Tom McMillin has been a Conservative Warhorse for many years in the Rochester Hills & Auburn Hills area.


Tom is a former mayor of Auburn Hills as well as a former Oakland County Commissioner. He’s as active member of the Rochester Chamber or Commerce and was a Republican National Delegate in 1996 and in 2000.


Then in November of 2008, when other Republicans were going down to defeat, Tom was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the residents of Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township.


State Representative McMillin is now pursuing a petition drive to amend the Michigan State Constitution. The amendment would give individuals the constitutional authority to opt out of government “health care”.


BUT...STATE REPRESENTATIVE McMILLIN WILL NEED OUR HELP!!


ON APRIL 19TH AT 7:00PM IN THE BERKLEY HIGH SCHOOL COLLABORATIVE CENTER, JOIN WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVE McMILLIN AND THE BERKLEY/ROYAL OAK REPUBLICAN FORUM AS WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT THIS UNCONSTITUTIONAL TAKEOVER OF 1/6 OF THE ECONOMY.(Doors open at 6:30pm)


Berkley/Royal Oak Republican Forum, P.O. Box 265, Royal Oak, MI 48068

(248)547-7654 OR (248)259-9591

'Opt Out' of Obamacare Healthcare Freedom Petition Drive Launched, Get Your Petition to Circulate Today!

STAND UP TO THE OBAMA-PELOSI-PETERS HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER SCHEME
Petition Referendum Launched to Allow Citizens to ‘Opt Out’ of Obamacare

Healthcare Freedom petition drive has launched! We need 500,000 valid signatures by June, 2010. If we receive enough signatures the issue will be placed on the ballot in November. If voters approve the referendum, citizens of Michigan will be allowed to ‘opt out’ of Obamacare thereby guaranteeing their healthcare freedoms and options ---without government interference.

Pick up your petitions to circulate to friends/family/neighbors at:

BLOOMFIELD HILLS: Oakland Fix Michigan Center/Oakland County Republican Party, 42611Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills. You can just drop in or you may call Jessica Corbett at 517-977-7752.

ROCHESTER HILLS: Call Jim Duistermars at 248-853-0172.

TROY: Knollenberg Agency – Allstate Insurance, 198 East Big Beaver Road, Troy (open Monday – Friday 9 AM – 5 PM).

WATERFORD: Call Dennis Pittman at 248-866-2562.



You may drop off your completed petitions with the same people/locations or you can mail them in. For more information, visit www.michiganhcf.com.

9th Congressional District GOP Chairman Glenn Clark & State Rep. Marty Knollenberg Featured in Oakland Press RE: Tea Party Movement

Nationally, GOP not necessarily in step with tea party movement
Published: Friday, April 16, 2010

Karen Rendine, of Waterford, with her flag during a tax-day protest hosted by PontiacTeaParty.com, at the corner of Telegraph and Walton Blvd.
By Glenn Gilbert
Executive Editor



A group of people during a tax-day protest hosted by PontiacTeaParty.com, at the corner of Telegraph and Walton Blvd.

Oakland County Republicans appear to be in sync with the major goals of the tea party movement and seem ready to benefit from it in the Nov. 2 general election.

In fact, Glenn Clark is chairman of both the 9th Congressional District Republicans and the Oakland County Tea Party.

“Most are already Republicans,” state Rep. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, said of tea party followers. “There are a lot of independents too.”

It is uncertain whether the GOP and tea party are in such harmony nationally, however. In February, many in the tea party movement were upset with the selection of 2008 Republican vice-presidential standard bearer Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker for their gathering. Some even claimed she hijacked the movement with a single speech.

Despite its potential value, the movement worries GOP candidates, particularly out-of-touch incumbents, Matt Schlapp, a White House political director in President George W. Bush’s first term, told the Associated Press.

“Republicans who assume this is a Republican effort or something playing right into the Republican playbook are making a big mistake,” Schlapp said. “For many Republicans and Republican strategists, this is too organic and uncontrolled, and that’s a little scary for them.”

The tea party gained political credibility after Republican Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts’ special Senate election. But activists were not key organizers in his race. The question is whether tea party-affiliated voters would have backed Brown anyway, given that many are conservatives, according to AP.

Last week, observers said Brown showed discomfort with the fringes of the movement in skipping the tea party’s national convention. Brown claimed his business in Congress prevented his attendance.

“His ‘business in Congress’ is getting re-elected in 2012, and to do that, he needs to present a moderate image. Going to a tea party rally is about the last thing he needs,” Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Brown’s alma mater, Tufts University, told AP.

“Brown doesn’t want to turn his back on his potential supporters, but he doesn’t want any photographs in the midst of an overly enthusiastic or bombastic event,” the professor added.

“America’s tea party is a hodgepodge of barely affiliated groups, a home to the politically homeless, a fast-growing swath of citizens who are frustrated with Washington, their own state capitals and both major political parties,” wrote AP analyst Ron Fournier. “Most describe themselves as conservatives or libertarians. They rarely identify themselves as Democrats.”

The tea party movement burst onto the national scene a year ago amid outrage among its adherents about bailouts of big businesses, what was considered excessive government spending and the supposed threatened national takeover of health care. A hallmark of the movement has been its spontaneity and loose organization. Also, it has not to date fielded candidates for office.

In a recent commentary for The Washington Post, former Vice President Dan Quayle said, “Some Republican leaders still aren’t sure what to make of it, as tea partiers have risen on their own and stirred up trouble in GOP primaries.” He also warned against it repeating the errors of Ross Perot’s Reform Party of the 1990s, which many feel cost George H.W. Bush the presidency in the 1992 election.

Quayle said, “The emergence of official tea party candidates would be very welcome news in the Obama White House.”

However, Tim Cox, founder of the Get Out of Our House organization, which seeks to replace all 435 member of the U.S. House, said Quayle and other GOP leaders are missing the point.

“Americans are fed up with both political parties,” said Cox, a self-proclaimed tea party sympathizer. “Flipping back and forth between the GOP and the Democrats is getting us nowhere. The political process itself forces our congressmen to represent special interest groups and their political parties, not their constituents.”

That is not the unfocused approach being taken in Michigan or Oakland County, however.

The Michigan Tea Party targeted U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, an upper Michigan Democrat, for defeat due to his role in helping pass the health care legislation and Stupak has decided to give up his seat.

In Oakland County, Clark says U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is the top target for defeat for tea partiers.

Will the tea party have any influence on state legislative races?

Republican House incumbents like Knollenberg, Gail Haines of Lake Angelus and Tom McMillin of Rochester Hills are all comfortable with the movement and have appeared at several of its events.

“I see no danger,” Knollenberg said. “It is a group you have to listen too.”

“I don’t expect anything but support from them,” Haines said. “Let’s not be afraid of them.”

While Haines and Knollenberg don’t see direct involvement by tea partiers in state races yet, “I think there will be a trickle-down effect,” Haines said.

Knollenberg said that while the tea party’s main interest has been in federal issues, its adherents did get involved in helping defeat local tax issues in Berkley and Troy. They wouldn’t hesitate to get involved into a state tax debate either, he said.

Stan Kasiewicz, a 69-year-old semi-retired Bloomfield Hills businessman, says he thinks the anti-tax message is getting through.

“If you look at some of the actions of the Michigan Legislature, they have finally been having a more fiscally responsible position,” Kasiewicz told AP.

Clark said one state House race in which there may be tea party involvement is the 39th District encompassing Commerce and West Bloomfield townships, where Democrat Lisa Brown won by a narrow margin in 2008. Clark calls Brown one of the most liberal members of the House.

Karl Sipfle, a longtime Republican challenging Brown, says he and the Tea Party “see things the same way.” He and his wife have been supportive, he said.

Sipfle called the tea party a significant movement, likening it to civil rights and feminist causes of the 20th century.

One thing is certain: The tea party makes election-watching all the more interesting this year.

Glenn Gilbert is the executive editor of The Oakland Press. Contact him at glenn.gilbert@oakpress.com or 248-745-4587. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/glenngilbert2.



http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/04/16/opinion/doc4bc6899668cbf544288617.txt

Healthcare Freedom 'Opt Yourself Out' Petition Drive Approved by State Board of Canvassers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wendy Day, President Common Sense in Government


MI Board of Canvassers Approves Healthcare Freedom Petition

April 16, 2010

The Michigan Board of Canvassers has approved the Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom petition to amend the Michigan Constitution. This signifies another important step in the process to protect Michigan citizens from mandatory government-run healthcare.

“While we were confident our petition would be approved, it is good to have this step behind us,” says Wendy Day, spokesperson for Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom, “Now we can get back to work collecting signatures.”

The petition drive was launched in response to the passage of the Federal health care takeover bill last month. The petition would place a Constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.

Summary of the amendment:

· Prohibits government from restricting a person’s right to choose his or her own health care system or plan.

· Prohibits government from interfering with a person’s or employer’s right to pay directly for lawful medical services.

· Prohibits government from imposing a penalty or fine on those who choose to obtain or decline any healthcare coverage or to participate in any particular health care system or plan.

“We are seeing a fantastic response from folks across the state. I have personally traveled through 32 counties this past week and we have petitions being circulated in at least 70 Michigan counties,” says Day

The effort needs 381,000 valid signatures by July 5th to be considered for the November ballot. More information can be found at www.michiganhcf.com.

###

GOP Doctors Caucus Launches New Website! Will Expose Obama-Pelosi-Peters Federal Healthcare Takeover Law

Keep up with the diseaster that is Obamacare. Learn more about how Obama-Pelosi-Peters stole away your healthcare rights and options. Find out more about the middle class tax hike that U.S. Rep. Gary Peters and his big government buddies approved for you and your families.

The GOP Doctors Caucus has launched a new website. The site will continue to expose the dangers of Obamacare as the mother of all unfunded entitlements moves forward.

Visit this site for more information: http://doctorscaucus.gingrey.house.gov/

Pres. G. W. Bush More Popular than Pres. B. H. Obama - America is Waking Up; In other News U.S. Rep. Gary Peters Stills Backs Obama Leftist Agenda

Poll Finds Nostalgia For Bush
By CQ-Roll Call Staff | April 15, 2010 8:58 AM |

President Obama just passed another milestone: His popularity is polling behind that for his predecessor, George W. Bush, according to a Public Policy Polling survey taken April 9-11.

When asked to state their preferences for president, 46 percent chose Obama, and 48 percent picked Bush, according to the PPP poll.

The culprit appears to be the health care law. Fifty percent of respondents to the poll say they oppose it, while 45 percent support it. Fifty-three percent want it repealed, while 40 percent would oppose that.

If the 2012 election were to be held today, Obama would have a tight race on his hands with 45 percent saying he would be re-elected and 44 percent saying he wouldn't.

The poll sample was evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans and between men and women.

"George W. Bush's approval ratings were horrid his final few years in office because even a decent number of Republicans and conservative leaning independents were unhappy with him," said PPP President Dean Debnam. "Now those folks wish they could have him back over Obama."

The poll is based on automated telephone interviews with 622 registered voters nationwide and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/04/poll-finds-nostalgia-for-bush.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=eye-on-2010

Republicans hold lead in generic ballot - U.S. Rep. Gary Peters' hopes of being re-elected dashed once again. Bye, bye liberal!

Republicans hold lead in generic ballot

The Fix

The latest weekly tracking poll from Gallup showing Republicans holding a 48 percent to 44 percent lead in the generic ballot test -- the third straight week that the GOP has stood tied or ahead on the question -- represents the sort of historic anomaly that has to concern Democratic strategists heading into the fall.

As Gallup's Lydia Saad notes, the only times in recent memory that Republicans carried a sustained edge in the generic ballot question -- "Would you vote for a Republican or Democratic candidate for Congress if the election was today?" or language similar to that -- were in 1994 and 2002. In each, Republicans either scored significant gains in the House and Senate (1994) or beat back historical midterm election trends (2002).

(Worth noting: Not all data conforms with Gallup's conclusions. A late March Washington Post/ABC national poll gave Democrats a 48 percent to 44 percent edge among registered voters in the generic ballot, a reversal from the 48 percent to 45 percent advantage Republicans enjoyed on the question in an early February survey. But, the closeness of the generic ballot was a marked contrast to the double digit edge Democrats held in advance of the 2006 and 2008 elections.)

We have written many, many times about what the generic ballot means and, as importantly, what it doesn't.

Explains Saad:


"The results -- when based on likely voters shortly before Election Day -- have proved, historically, to be a highly accurate predictor of the national two-party vote. This, in turn, bears a close relationship to the post-election party division of House seats."

Put simply: The generic ballot tell us broadly what direction -- and how strongly -- the national wind is blowing. It doesn't tell us whether Walt Minnick (Idaho) or Bobby Bright (Ala.) is going to win or lose. (Both Democrats, despite their strongly Republican districts, are the early favorites to buck national trends and win re-election this fall.)

Given historic trends in first term, midterm elections -- the President's party typically loses between 20-25 seats -- and what the Gallup generic ballot test is currently showing, it suggests that Republicans have every reason to feel good about where they stand heading into the vote this fall.

Politics is, of course, an unpredictable business (which is why we love covering it so much) and so things can -- and do change.


By Chris Cillizza | April 13, 2010; 12:15 PM ET


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

Berkley-Royal Oak Republican Forum to Host Rep. Tom McMillin - Opt Yourself Out of Obamacare Petition Drive

Berkley-Royal Oak Republican Forum

***announces their April speaker***

State Representative Tom McMillin

Date: Monday, April 19, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Berkely High School Collaborative Center

State Representative McMillin is pursuing a petition drive to amend the Michigan State Constitution. The amendment would give individuals the constitutional authority to opt out of government “health care”.

1994 Republican Rout Is Casting Shadow in 2010

1994 Republican Rout Is Casting Shadow in 2010
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and MARJORIE CONNELLY
Published: April 11, 2010

WASHINGTON — The year was 1994. Congressional Democrats were battered after a failed fight to pass a health care bill. It was the first midterm election for a new Democratic president, Bill Clinton. By overwhelming numbers, Americans thought the country was heading in the wrong direction, had unfavorable views of the president and Congress, and said it was time for new leadership in Washington.

Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press
Newt Gingrich, the leader of the 1994 Republican takeover, said there were “a lot of vague parallels” in this election season.
Blog
The Caucus
The latest on President Obama, his administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion.

Mike Theiler/European Pressphoto Agency
Before the health care debate last month, Representative Phil Gingrey held up a flier listing 25 Democrats who lost races in 1994.
That fall, Republicans swept to power, capturing 9 seats in the Senate and 52 in the House.

“There are a lot of vague parallels,” said Newt Gingrich, the Republican leader who oversaw the takeover in 1994 and now proclaims himself “moderately optimistic” that Republicans can again win the House, at least.

In many ways, the 1994 election has become the template both Republicans and Democrats are looking to as they set their strategies for the fall Congressional elections. Democratic campaign operatives, who are girding for big losses, began meeting quietly with party strategists involved in the 1994 contests last summer, looking for lessons on how to avoid another rout.

Yet 1994 seems an imprecise way to predict how this contest will play out. While there are intriguing parallels, there are some important differences as well. And though Democrats might look to those differences as glimmers of light — “There are so many things different from ’94 that I think this will turn out very differently,” said Stanley Greenberg, who was the White House pollster in 1994 — the divergences seem as likely to benefit Republicans as Democrats, analysts in both parties said.

Further, it seems too early to measure the effect of what is perhaps the biggest difference between the two cycles — that Democrats this time succeeded in passing a major health care bill.

For Democrats, the biggest obstacle appears to be that they are once again working in the kind of environment that has historically proved toxic to the party in power. Mr. Obama’s favorability ratings, like Mr. Clinton’s in 1994, have slipped below 50 percent, almost invariably a bad harbinger for the party in power in midterm elections. Congress and the Democratic Party are today extremely unpopular, as they were in 1994.

“Obama has done the same kind of overreach that Clinton did back then with the tax increases and the crime bill,” said Joe Gaylord, the Gingrich adviser who directed the 1994 takeover strategy, and who is now advising Mr. Gingrich on a potential presidential run.

“I was just looking at some survey data this morning, and in every area now — from health care to education to balancing the budget to foreign policy — the Republicans have a lead over Democrats, policywise,” Mr. Gaylord said. “That makes it very much like 1994.”

And in some ways, Republicans seem even better positioned than they were in 1994. Republican voters appear highly energized by the health care bill, and that kind of voter interest typically results in significant turnout in a midterm election.

Many experts have predicted big gains for Republicans — even some Democrats say Republicans might win 40 seats and thus control of the House — making it easier for the Republican Party to recruit candidates who might otherwise have stood aside. It could also make it easier for the party to raise money and enliven supporters.

“Remember, because we hadn’t won control in 40 years, nobody believed us,” Mr. Gingrich said. “By contrast, there’s a pretty wide general agreement that we are going to come out of this somewhere between plus-25 and a majority. That’s a very different world.”

Yet Democrats have many reasons to compare the two elections and find hope. The flip side to what Mr. Gingrich said is that Democrats, remembering 1994, will not be surprised this time. They have aggressively warned incumbents against being overly confident, pressing them to raise money now and begin attacking prospective opponents.

“It is no shock that this is going to be a hard cycle,” said Jon Vogel, the executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “People didn’t know that until late 1994; they ended their campaigns with money in the bank.”

In 1994, Mr. Gaylord said, “there weren’t four people in America who thought we were going to win control of the House on Election Day.” He added: “Now we’ve been talking about this since last November. What this does is allows incumbents to build up lots of dough and try to reposition themselves.”

Moreover, the Republican Party has a different image than it did in 1994. At that time, Republicans had been out of control of Congress for long enough that they were able to present themselves as the party of change. They were viewed unfavorably by just 39 percent of Americans. By contrast, 57 percent said in February that they had an unfavorable view of Republicans in a New York Times/CBS News poll.

White House officials argued that the anger this time was more generalized. “This year is different because the ire is aimed at Washington, not just one party,” said David Axelrod, a senior political adviser to Mr. Obama.

And if Republicans have been energized by their opposition to the health care bill, the White House believes that will be matched by the reaction of Democratic voters to the bill’s passage. Democrats have been pushing Republicans to take a position on repealing the health care bill amid polling evidence that that is a surefire way of exciting Democratic base voters.

“I think health care is a very big deal, both the bill itself, but also because it shows the ability of Democrats to deliver on their promises and get things done,” said Mr. Greenberg, the former White House pollster.

Democrats also have fewer seats to defend. In 1994, Democrats had 28 retirements, putting many districts on the table that otherwise would have been safe. Last week, Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan announced that he would not seek re-election, pushing the number of Democrats who are retiring this year to 20, equal to the number of Republicans who are retiring. The number is still relatively low, though not as low as Democrats would have liked.

Perhaps more significant, in 1994 Democrats headed into the fall campaign after passing a crime bill that included a ban on assault weapons. The bill led to a backlash among independent voters, particularly in the South, which many Democrats argue was as much a factor in Democratic setbacks as the health care debacle.

That is one lesson from 1994 that Congressional Democrats will remember as they wind up their business in Washington and prepare for the fall campaigns.


Adam Nagourney reported from Washington, and Marjorie Connelly from New York.


A version of this article appeared in print on April 12, 2010, on page A18 of the New York edition.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/us/politics/12elect.html

GALLUP: Obama Sinks to Record Low - No Hope for U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D-MI09)

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s Statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day

RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s Statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day

WASHINGTON - Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“Today, as we honor Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as Yom Hashoah, we declare never again will we remain silent in the face of systematic persecution and genocide. We remember the murder of six million innocent Jewish men, women, and children during the reign of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime, along with many others who were targeted for racial, ethnic, religious, and other reasons. Though many years have passed since that horrific moment in history, the United States remains committed to offering a safe haven to those who seek protection from religious and other persecution wherever it may be found. It is vital that we continue to pay our respects to those who lost their lives by keeping them and their families in our prayers, while also teaching future generations about the importance of ending this type of prejudice that still plagues many areas of the world. This year, as we commemorate the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, we also thank the liberators -- the men and women in uniform who, then as now, fight to secure freedom around the world. America continues to be a shining city upon a hill for all and we reaffirm our commitment to peace and freedom from persecution for all.”

###

Stupak retirement shows need for MI Healthcare Freedom Amendment

State Representative Tom McMillin


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2010

Stupak retirement shows need for MI Healthcare Freedom Amendment

Rochester Hills – Upon hearing the retirement news today of Congressman Bart Stupak, the Democrat Congressman whose “leadership” ensured the midnight healthcare takeover occurred, State Rep. Tom McMillin (R – Rochester Hills) said, “Bart Stupak’s retirement shows that we need to give our Michigan citizens the ability to take back their healthcare freedom by putting the Michigan Healthcare Freedom Amendment on the ballot and pass it in November. It would allow our citizens to opt out of Obamacare and ensure Washington can’t get between us and our doctors, nor force us to buy something that some may not want.”

McMillin is one of the leaders who launched the petition drive last month to put the Amendment on November’s ballot. McMillin concluded by saying, “I wonder if Democrats who supported the healthcare takeover will claim that Stupak retired because the takeover was wildly popular in his district. No – he retired because that midnight grab was an atrocity and he knew the voters would hold him accountable in November.”

###

Tick Tock: More Democrat & Gary Peters Spending - Watch this Youtube.com Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCSNN6kX9w

Obama's National Sales Tax, in other News U.S. Rep. Gary Peters is Silent on New Tax Proposal Refusing 2 Stand Up 2 Obama-Pelosi Big Government Agenda

Obama’s National Sales Tax

Posted by Brian Darling (Profile)

Thursday, April 8th at 2:00PM EDT

President Obama is vetting a new national sales tax (commonly referred to as a VAT) to extract more wealth from the private sector to sustain his insatiable hunger for more government spending. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker and current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke have commenced a vetting strategy to convince Americans that they need to give more and more money to an every-expanding and bloated federal government. Congress needs to just say no to a VAT — and increased taxation — as part of any pitch by this Administration to balance the budget.
Volker and Bernanke have used a two pronged strategy to vet the VAT. First is fear mongering. Bernanke argues that Americans need to choose between higher taxes or massive cuts in critical government programs. He mentioned Social Security, Medicare, Education and Defense as areas of government spending that would be targeted if we don’t raise taxes. This is a false choice. The federal government needs to reform entitlement programs, needs to root out waste fraud and abuse and should eliminate programs like the National Endowment for the Arts.

The deficit incurred by the federal government has reached about $12.8 trillion and next year’s projected deficit is record breaking at $1.6 trillion. Obama’s solution? Not cutting government, not ending bailouts, not entitlement reform, and not stopping the Stimulus. Instead, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke yesterday commenced a debate on higher taxes yesterday, see the Washington Post:

To avoid large and ultimately unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, less spending on everything else from education to defense, or some combination of the above.

White House economic advisor Paul Volcker, and former Chairman of the Fed, urged the United States to follow Europe and impose a Value Added Tax (VAT). The Washington Examiner has this description of a VAT:

A VAT is a national sales tax that would be collected by retailers. But it can also be imposed on products as they make their way through the manufacturing process. That is, the tax for a single product is paid by manufacturers, producers, and business that add value to the product, as well as by the consumers. Critics argue that the VAT is a regressive tax that unduly places the burden on the poor.

The reason why elites in Washington would look to a VAT before increasing income taxes (and, believe me, higher income taxes are coming) is because not enough of the population even pays income taxes to make it worthwhile for the government to use the income tax structure to balance the budget. According to the Tax Policy Center, only about 47 percent of Americans will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Meanwhile, the government can extract the most amount of your wealth from a national sales tax (VAT) and Volker’s statement yesterday evidences a will on the part of this Administration to start the fear mongering process to tee up higher taxes.

Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric on the part of the agents of President Obama when they try to downplay the effort to impose higher taxes on all Americans. Volker and Bernanke would not be messaging for higher taxes if this Administration did not want them to. A VAT, national sales tax, would be the end of economic freedom as we know it, because the federal government would then have the power to tax all aspects of our lives. Until Washington can restrain spending, we should not entrust it with the power to create a brand new tax.

http://www.redstate.com/brian_d/2010/04/08/obamas-national-sales-tax/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Breaking: Claim that Pelosi-Peters Healthcare Law may Allow Viagra for Rapists & Sex Offenders Confirmed!

Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved.

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn’s claim on offender Viagra is backed
BY CHRIS CASTEEL
Published: April 8, 2010

WASHINGTON — A non-partisan congressional agency has confirmed Sen. Tom Coburn’s claim that the health care law may allow convicted sex offenders to get federally subsidized prescriptions for Viagra and similar drugs.

MultimediaPhoto
view all photos The Congressional Research Service sent a memo to Coburn on the issue, concluding that "a convicted rapist, child molester, or other sex offender who is not incarcerated would not appear to be excluded from enrolling in a qualified health plan” in the new state marketplaces, called "exchanges,” to be created .

The memo states "a qualified health plan operating in that state would not appear to be prohibited ... from offering that individual coverage for drugs prescribed to treat” erectile dysfunction.

Under the law, the exchanges must be running by 2014.

A range of tax subsidies will be available then to help individuals and small businesses purchase health care coverage.

Last month, Coburn tried unsuccessfully to amend a bill of changes to the new health care law that would have prohibited convicted sex offenders from purchasing erectile dysfunction drugs through plans in the exchanges.

Democratic opponents accused Coburn, R-Muskogee, of trying to embarrass senators who wanted to pass the legislation without amendments.

Coburn’s amendment stemmed from a controversy five years ago over sex offenders getting erectile dysfunction drugs through the government-funded Medicaid program. An Associated Press survey in 2005 found that nearly 800 convicted sex offenders in 14 states had received erectile dysfunction drugs through the Medicaid program.

Coburn spokesman John Hart said Wednesday that Coburn "hopes his colleagues will reconsider their opposition to taking responsible steps to prevent sex offenders from obtaining taxpayer-funded ED drugs through the new health care law.”



Read more: http://newsok.com/u.s.-sen.-tom-coburns-claim-on-offender-viagra-is-backed/article/3452167?custom_click=rss#ixzz0kW9peF9q

http://ow.ly/1w24J

Tea Party Info Tech, 9th. Congressional District Republican Chairman Glenn Clark Quoted in MI Capitol Confidential Article

Tea Party Info Tech
By Tom Gantert | April 7, 2010
When a reporter told Joan Fabiano, founder of Grass Roots in Michigan, that he wanted to attend one of their meetings, the Holt woman informed him via Facebook that reporters were not allowed at their meetings.

The reporter, whose last article on Fabiano's activism referred to the Tea Party movement as "tea bag" in a headline, showed up anyway and — once turned away — stood in the parking lot of a church interviewing members.

Fabiano wrote about the experience on her blog and posted a link to it on Facebook that went out to her 900-plus Facebook friends.

Late to the technology party, the Tea Party movement is now utilizing new media and other social networking tools to build their following and get their message out.

"We know we have the Internet now," said Tina Dupont of the Tea Party of West Michigan. "And we are communicating. We are forming alliances."

Facebook started in September 2006, but many in the Tea Party movement didn't realize its potential until the last year.

Belinda Szmytke of the Rattle With Us Tea Party group in Livonia started Facebook just to keep tabs on her son and stay in contact with a few family members.

Today, she has more than 200 friends, and spends five to six hours a day online with her newfound political involvement.

On Tuesday, she found a GOP political candidate event and forwarded it to her Facebook friends as an event invitation.

"It seems when I'm not at work, I'm almost constantly checking Facebook, checking my e-mail, seeing if I can help other groups get the word out," Szmytke said.

In Manistique, Nanette White is about a 5-and-a-half hour car drive from the political hub of Lansing.

She's been on Facebook a year. White, a member of the Northern Michigan Liberty Alliance, checked how many friends she had on Tuesday.

"Let me take a peek," she said. "Just hit 400."

White said 99 percent of those friends are related to her activism.

"I'm online 12 hours a day, which sounds really bad," White said. "It consumes all your time, I will tell you that. But you have to stop and do something."

Like many in the Tea Party movement, her Facebook use began as a tool to stay in touch with a handful of relatives.

"It quickly became, 'Wow. This is fantastic. You can network with all the people on the issues.' Technology is fantastic. You have the world at your fingertips."

Glenn Clark, who is a member of the Oakland County Tea Party, said he notices how quickly activists are to connect with each other.

Clark said he often will go to rallies and introduce himself to many Tea Party activists.

"I'll go to a rally and give my name," Clark said. "When I get home, they've already friended me. Between Twitter, Facebook and e-mail, we are all connected now."

Clark said the Tea Party movement uses social networking to expose hypocrisy among politicians via votes or statements made at events.

"There is no running away from it," Clark said.

http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/12471

Breaking: U.S. Rep. Gary Peters Voted for Healthcare Law that May Allow Viagra Coverage for Rapists & Sex Offenders!

CRS: Health Law May Allow Viagra Coverage for Sex Offenders
By John Stanton
Roll Call Staff
April 7, 2010, 12:42 p.m.
The Congressional Research Service confirmed in a memo Wednesday that rapists and sex offenders may get federally subsidized Viagra and other sexual performance enhancing drugs under the recently passed health care reform law — information that Republicans charge will haunt Democrats in upcoming elections.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/44956-1.html

Get your 'opt Michigan citizens out of Obamacare' petitions for statewide petition drive at these locations....

Pick up ‘opt Michigan citizens out of Obamacare’ petitions to place issue on November statewide ballot at (call first for locations with phone numbers listed):

• MI GOP State Committeeman James Duistermars, 248-853-0172, Rochester Hills

• Knollenberg Agency, 198 E. Big Beaver Rd, Troy (Hours: M-F 9 AM – 5 PM)

• North Oakland GOP Club President Dennis Pittman, Waterford, 248-866-2562

• Oakland County Republican Party, 248-254-3425 (new location, call first)

• More information, please visit: www.michiganhcf.com

Senator Rick Santorum Radio Ad Promoting Southeast Michigan Reagan Memorial Dinner

Listen to Sen. Rick Santorum promoting S.E. Michigan Reagan Memorial Dinner on our radio spot that is airing in our region. http://tinyurl.com/yk9hnqn

Republican National Committee's Thursday Conference Call: Next Week’s Observance of Tax Day and the Democrats’ Continued Out of Control Spending

CONFERENCE CALL

Please Join
Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform,
Anti-Tax Advocacy Group
And
RNC Coalitions Director Angela Sailor

Who: Open to All

What: Discussion on Next Week’s Observance of Tax Day and the Democrats’ Continued Out of Control Spending

When: Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 4:00 PM EDT

Where: Dial-In Number: 800-428-6220 Code: 824668#



Republican National Committee | 310 First Street, SE | Washington, D.C.20003
p: 202.863.8500 | f: 202.863.8820 | e: info@gop.com
Paid for by the Republican National Committee.
310 First Street, SE - Washington, D.C.20003 - (202) 863-8500
www.gop.com
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee

Trouble Ahead for Democrat Congressional Members Who Voted Yes on Obama-Pelosi-Reid Healthcare Takeover Scheme

Spring forecast: Incivility with a chance of rage
By: David Catanese
April 4, 2010 06:12 PM EDT

MANCHESTER, N.H. – If the experience of this state’s two Democratic House members is any indication, the raw emotion and mistrust emanating from last summer’s congressional town halls never really went away.

Instead, the unrest simmered over the ensuing months, only to return to a boil when Rep. Carol Shea-Porter and Rep. Paul Hodes, who is running for U.S. Senate, returned home to meet with their constituents here during the first week of the Easter recess.

Their public events provided a bracing reminder to Democrats that the political pivot from health care to economic and financial issues is going to be much more arduous than they expected.

At a senior center in Manchester Wednesday, one woman turned away when Hodes offered his outstretched hand for an introduction.

"I don't want to shake your hand. You voted for health care, so just go," snapped Carmen Guimond, as she refocused on her lunch of roast beef and mashed potatoes and waved him on.

When Hodes decided to stay at the table and launch a defense of what's considered to be one of the more popular provisions of the law — closing the "donut hole," a gap in prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients — she challenged whether he had read the entire bill and dismissed his explanation.

"Two hundred and forty dollars in the first year. That's all it is," she said, referring to the initial subsidy. "That's not much."

"And over time, by 2020, it closes the donut hole," Hodes explained.

"We'll all be dead by then," she deadpanned.

While the new landmark health care reform law is driving much of the hostility, at a handful of events here in the week after passage, voters expressed profound cynicism and suspicion not just about the legislation, but about Washington, government and virtually everything that came out of their legislators’ mouths.

A man who did not want to be identified said he pulled Hodes aside at the Manchester event to ask him why he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. The congressman told him he’s allergic to gold. His constituent remained skeptical.

“It’s a satisfactory answer, but I don’t know if it’s true,” the man said afterward, citing “all the improprieties out there” as the reason he inquired.

For her part, at back-to-back town hall meetings in Bedford and Merrimack, Shea-Porter faced consistent boos, heckles and catcalls after almost every point she rattled off in defense of her vote.

Despite an effort to accommodate questions from the raucous crowds with a ticketed lottery system and a two-minute time limit for speakers, the congresswoman got little credit from the audience. If anything, it gave her opponents fresh ammunition.

"Why can't we ask a question?" yelled one man, objecting to a format that randomly selected numbers out of a tub of tickets to choose questioners.

"Are you a princess or a representative?" chastised another woman.

Yet another man was miffed that he received a form letter from her office in response to six specific questions he sent to her by mail.

"I expect a reply. I heard a position statement that did not answer any of my questions," complained Ben Niles of Merrimack.


Shea-Porter had her defenders, too, and they were uncowed. When one heckler mentioned polling against health care reform, he was greeted with, “That’s Sarah Palin’s death panel lies!”

Another supporter of the congresswoman responded to a comment with, "What, are you employed by some insurance company? Shut up!"

The raw emotion expressed at the public events — on both sides — left both Shea-Porter and Hodes seemingly resigned to the fact that that act of defending, or heralding, their health care vote will continue to occupy much of their time for the near future.

Hodes said he’s happy to answer the questions and is convinced that the majority of voters don’t have their heels dug in against the bill.

"If two out of 12 people have their minds fixed, that's about the ratio that I would expect. I think now that we have a bill and we're able to talk about what's in it, and we're able to give people some very clear information about what's in it,” Hodes told POLITICO.

"Over these next few months, you're going to see growing acceptance of the legislation, growing appreciation for what the legislation does and an open-mindedness to the benefits that the legislation will bring," he added.

Kathy Sullivan, a former state Democratic Party chair, said a groundswell of cynicism is to be expected when most of the attention and media coverage thus far has focused on a convoluted process and the colorful opposition.

“All we knew was that this behemoth was coming and that it was going to cost a fortune, and there were a lot of people upset about it. It wasn’t until the bill passed that you started seeing stories about what the bill actually did,” she said. “Cover kids on their parents plans until 26? Excellent! Takes away the companies power to deny pre-existing conditions? Great. Where is the communist stuff, and where is the stuff about the death panels now? It doesn’t exist.”

One question, though, is whether the unseemly horse-trading that to many voters seemed to characterize the process has tainted the final product — and voters’ trust of Congress.

When Shea-Porter referred the health care legislation at one event as a bipartisan effort and noted 200 amendments by Republicans, several in the audience jeered, "What a joke! You have got to be kidding me!"

When she said there was growing support for the legislation, even within her congressional district, a heckler taunted her, yelling, "How are your polls doing, Carol?" Another shouted, "That's a lie! That's a Pelosi line!"

Her statement that "the bill is paid for" led to a hearty round of laughs that made it seem like she had delivered a joke.

Of the 12 questioners who got a chance to speak inside the Bedford High School cafeteria, nine made it clear they flatly opposed the new law. Shea-Porter acknowledged there was strong opposition.

"We are in a swing district. It's split down the middle. This district really is a divided district on this issue," she said at Merrimack Middle School, adding that her support for health care expansion shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone who followed her 2006 campaign.

When she told the crowd the obvious — that they had the chance to oust her in seven months — the notion prompted claps and a promise from one man who thundered, "And we will."


© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC

http://ow.ly/1uEGA

Easter Message

A blessed Easter to you and yours! Hope and faith play a huge role in many of our lives. God bless you all at this very special time of the year!

40% of Tea Partiers are Dems and Independents, U.S. Rep. Gary Peters in Massive Trouble!

40% of Tea Partiers are Dems and Independents, How Will Media Report the News?
By Noel Sheppard (Bio | Archive)
Sun, 04/04/2010 - 21:00 ET

For almost a year, the mainstream media have depicted members of the Tea Party movement as racist, right-wing extremists.
On Sunday, a survey was released finding 40 percent of Tea Partiers are Democrats and Independents.

Given the media's hatred for everyone involved in this growing movement, how will they react to and report this startling revelation released hours ago by The Hill (h/t Pat Dollard):

The national breakdown of the Tea Party composition is 57 percent Republican, 28 percent Independent and 13 percent Democratic, according to three national polls by the Winston Group, a Republican-leaning firm that conducted the surveys on behalf of an education advocacy group. Two-thirds of the group call themselves conservative, 26 are moderate and 8 percent say they are liberal. [...]

The group is united around two issues – the economy/jobs and reducing the deficit. They believe that cutting spending is the key to job creation and favor tax cuts as the best way to stimulate the economy. That said 61 percent of Tea Party members believe infrastructure spending creates jobs. Moreover, given the choice Tea Party members favor 63-32 reducing unemployment to 5 percent over balancing the budget.
Here are some findings media might find agreeable:

The group also vehemently dislikes President Barack Obama – even more so than those who called themselves Republicans in the survey. Over 80 percent of Tea Party members disapprove of the job he’s doing as president, whereas 77 percent of Republican respondents said they disapprove of Obama. The Tea Party members are also strongly opposed to the Democrats’ healthcare plan, with 82 percent saying they oppose it -- only 48 percent of respondents overall were opposed. [...]

Almost half the members of the group reported getting their news about national issues from Fox News, 10 percent of respondents said that talk radio is one of their top two sources, which is seven-points higher than average voter.

Yeah, the Fox and talk radio-haters in the press will surely like those findings, assuming this gets much attention at all.

How will they report it?

Stay tuned.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.




Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/04/04/40-tea-partiers-are-dems-and-independents-how-will-media-report-news#ixzz0kBryXeNS

http://ow.ly/16YN0a

Future Speaker of the House John Boehner's Statement on Easter 2010

Boehner Statement on Easter 2010


Washington, Apr 2 - Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on this year’s celebration of the Easter holy day this Sunday, April 4:

“For nearly two millennia, the observance of Christ’s resurrection has inspired forgiveness, renewal, and hope for eternal life.

“This Easter, as we gather for worship with family and friends, let us give thanks to God for our tremendous blessings as a free people and remember those in uniform serving in harm’s way for our protection.

“To my fellow citizens, I say Happy Easter and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday weekend.”

http://ow.ly/1umhJ

CBS News Poll on Obamacare: 53% Oppose, 32% Support - In other News Rep. Gary Peters Continues to Refuse to Listen to Voters

April 2, 2010 6:30 PM
Poll: Most Americans Remain Against Health Care Overhaul

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

The public is increasingly skeptical of the health care reform bill signed into law last week, a new CBS News poll shows.


More Americans now disapprove of the legislation, and many expect their costs to rise and the quality of their care to worsen; few expect the reforms to help them.


President Obama has continued to tour the country to stump for his new set of reforms. This week he went to Portland, Maine, where he told people it will take more than a week for the benefits of reform to become apparent.


The poll, conducted March 29 through April 1, found that so far the president's efforts to build up support for the bill appear to be ineffective.


Fifty-three percent of Americans say they disapprove of the new reforms, including 39 percent who say they disapprove strongly. In the days before the bill passed the House, 37 percent said they approved and 48 percent disapproved.


Republicans and independents remain opposed to the reforms, and support has dropped some among Democrats. Now 52 percent of Democrats approve of the new reforms, a drop from 60 percent just before the bill was passed by Congress.


And less than one in five Americans thinks the new health care reforms will help them personally - unchanged since before the vote in Congress. Thirty-six percent think the new reforms will hurt them, while 39 percent think they will have little effect.


There are also some doubts about the specific ways in which Americans expect the reforms will affect them. Just over half think the new health care reforms will increase their health care costs, and 39 percent think the quality of their health care will get worse.


Even though the president and Democratic leaders have repeatedly pointed out that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office called the reform package a deficit-reducer, six in 10 Americans still think the new health care reforms will increase the budget deficit. Just 13 percent think the reforms will decrease the deficit and another 15 percent expect no effect.


But Americans are relatively more positive about one outcome of the legislation -- the effect the new reforms will have on consumers and the health insurance industry. Thirty-five percent think the reforms will increase consumer protection against health insurance companies, and just 20 percent expect that to decrease.


Still, as was the case before the bill was passed, about half of Americans say they don't have a good understanding of how the new reforms will affect them and their family. Fifty-three percent find the reforms confusing, and just 41 percent understand their impact.


Only 34 percent of Americans approved of the president's handling of health care -- an all-time low. Mr. Obama's overall approval rating also hit an all-time low in this poll at 44 percent, as Americans continue to worry about the economy.


The public's approval of Congress also remains low at 16 percent.


The lead-up to the House vote on health care reform was contentious, and 56 percent of Americans believe Congress' behavior is less civil now than it was 10 years ago. Democrats, Republicans and independents all share that view.


On a completely different note, the poll also asked respondents about their opinions of people using swear words -- which has been in the news recently. When it comes to cursing, a third says they are bothered a lot by people using swear words in conversations -- but 38 percent aren't bothered much at all. Women dislike it more than men.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001700-503544.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

More Americans Trust Congressional Republicans on Economy, not Democrats - in other News, Gary Peters Continues to Vote for Massive New Spending

Troubling polls for Democrats
Friday, April 02, 2010 @ 11:04 AM
ShareAmericans continue to feel the pain thanks to Washington Democrats’ failure to create jobs. Underemployment rose to 20.3 percent in March 2010, according to Gallup, and The Hill’s Michael O’Brien reports that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner admits that unemployment will stay "unacceptably high" for some time. Still, state unemployment rates have remained largely unchanged or even slightly higher, raising the specter of a jobless recovery in the short-term, the reverberations of which could be felt during this fall's midterm elections.

In today’s Playbook, Politico’s Mike Allen reports that more Americans trust Republicans in Congress to improve economic conditions. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 48 percent of Americans say Republicans in Congress would do a better job dealing with the economy, with 45 percent saying that congressional Democrats would better handle the issue. That's a switch from last August, when Democrats held a 52 percent to 39 percent advantage on the economy.

The poll, conducted by CNN, shows that Democrats have lost more ground on the economy than on the contentious health care debacle. "Democratic losses on the economy are roughly twice as big as their losses on health care," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "That's evidence that the economy - not health care - is the chief reason for the Republicans' current advantage over the Democrats in the midterm congressional races."

Meanwhile, widespread backlash against Democrats for their health spending bill continues nationwide. The Washington Post reports on their recent poll: Many of those who listed themselves as "angry" said they felt Congress was operating in a vacuum, removed from the problems encountered by average people struggling against a tepid job market, sagging home values and dwindling retirement funds. About 85 percent strongly disapproved of the way Congress is doing its job.

And Hotline OnCall’s Reid Wilson writes, new health care legislation is going to cost companies billions of dollars, according to internal projections and public announcements from a range of corporations including the bluest of the Blue Chips to small local outfits. So far, companies have announced they will take at least $2.7B in one-time charges after health care legislation became law, thanks to a provision that will no longer allow companies to deduct subsidies it receives to provide seniors with prescription drug benefits...A list of companies that have taken the charges, handing GOPers easy talking points as they look to sell their vision of the new law as a job-killer.

http://ow.ly/1u3Nf

Obama Down to 44% Approval, Only 34% Approval on Healthcare Alone, Gary Peters Still in Hiding

April 2, 2010 7:01 AM
Obama's Approval Rating Hits New Low


CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last week, President Obama signed historic health care reform legislation into law -- but his legislative success doesn't seem to have helped his image with the American public.


The latest CBS News Poll, conducted between March 29 and April 1, found Americans unhappier than ever with Mr. Obama's handling of health care - and still worried about the state of the economy.

President Obama's overall job approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 44 percent, down five points from late March, just before the health bill's passage in the House of Representatives. It's down 24 points since his all-time high last April. Forty-one percent of those polled said they disapproved of the president's performance.

More results from this CBS News Poll will be released in Friday's broadcast of the Evening News with Katie Couric, which airs at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

When it comes to health care, the President's approval rating is even lower -- and is also a new all-time low. Only 34 percent approved, while 55 percent said they disapproved.

Americans are still worried about the economy, with 84 percent telling CBS they thought it was still in bad condition. However, even that high number represents an improvement: nine in ten thought the economy was bad during the last half of 2008 and at the beginning of 2009, when Mr. Obama assumed the Presidency.

Concern about job loss remains high; slightly more Americans now (35 percent) than in February (31 percent) were "very concerned" that someone in their household would lose a job. Nearly six in ten Americans said they were at least "somewhat concerned" about a job loss.

As has often been the case, lower-income Americans tend to be the most concerned about job loss.

This concern is reflected in yet another low approval rating -- this time for the President's handling of the economy. Just 42 percent said they approved of how President Obama is handling the economy, only one point above January's all-time low. Half of the public disapproves.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001629-503544.html

U.S. Rep. Gary Peters' 'Yea' Vote on Obamacare: An Overdose of Job Killing Taxes & Costs

ObamaCare Flatlines: An Overdose of Job Killing Taxes and Costs
April 01, 2010

Since our initial ObamaCare Flatlines on Monday, several more U.S. employers have come out against President Obama’s government takeover of health care that will destroy American jobs and stifle our economy. Our nation's hard-working employers are already experiencing the real-life impact of ObamaCare’s job-killing tax hikes and health care costs on their businesses.

$150,000,000 CHARGE: Boeing: “Boeing Co. will take a charge of $150 million due to the recent health care overhaul legislation, the aircraft maker said Wednesday. The charge will hurt earnings by 20 cents per share in the first quarter of 2010. In 2013 Boeing will no longer be able to claim an income tax deduction related to certain prescription drug benefits for retirees. Accounting rules require that the company take the charge during the period the legislation is enacted.” (The Washington Post, Boeing to Take Charge on Health Care Reform, 3/31/10)

ANOTHER BURDEN: Minnesota Small Business Owners: “Some business owners, like Joe Meese, aren't sure that's going to change. Meese runs Prescription Specialties Pharmacy in east Duluth. He has three employees, without health insurance. ‘We haven't been able to afford it,’ he said. ‘In small business, it's going to be another burden which [has] got to come from somewhere, and consumers will end up paying for it in the end.’” (Minnesota Public Radio, Small Businesses Wary of Health Care Reform Law, 3/30/10)

EARNINGS DOWN: Goodrich: “Aerospace supplier Goodrich Corp. on Wednesday became the latest large company to announce an earnings hit due to the recently passed health care reform legislation. The Charlotte company said it will incur a one-time charge of about $10 million, or 8 cents per share, in the first quarter. Companies have said the tax increase could significantly raise government health care costs because companies may drop their retiree coverage.” (Bloomberg, Goodrich Sees Health Reform Tax Charge of $10M, 3/31/10)

TAXABLE COVERAGE: Illinois Tool Works: “Illinois Tool Works Inc. today announced that as a result of certain provisions in the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care program, future Medicare prescription drug subsidies received by the Company for retiree prescription drug coverage will now be taxable. As a result, the Company expects to record a discrete tax adjustment of $22 million, or 4 cents of diluted income per share from continuing operations, in its 2010 first quarter results to reflect this change in tax treatment.” (PR Newswire, ITW Announces a Revision to First Quarter 2010 Earnings Forecast Due to Recently Enacted Health Care Legislation, 3/30/10)

http://www.gop.gov/blog/10/04/01/obamacare-flatlines-an-overdose-of

Majority of Americans: Democrats Abused Power to "Ram Through" Healthcare Takeover Law - Paging Mr. Gary Peters!

Troubling Polls For Democrats
Thursday, April 01, 2010 @ 11:04 AM
ShareA new USA Today/Gallup poll shows that Americans anxious about unemployment and the economy increasingly blame President Obama for hard times, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid signs of turbulence in November's midterm elections. Last week's jubilant signing of the health care overhaul, Obama's signature domestic initiative, seems to have given the president little boost. Instead, his standing on four personal qualities has sagged, and 50% of those surveyed say he doesn't deserve re-election…Obama's standing on four key personal qualities, including being a strong and decisive leader and understanding the problems Americans face in their lives, has dipped. For the first time since the 2008 campaign, he fails to win a majority of people saying he shares their values and can manage the government effectively.

Given the Democrats’ unpopular policies and total disarray post-health care, polls like today’s Gallup survey show a sharp shift in momentum toward the Republican party for November’s elections. The March 22-28 results were obtained after the U.S. House's passage of landmark healthcare reform legislation on March 21. The shift toward Republicans raises the possibility that the healthcare bill had a slightly negative impact on the Democrats' political fortunes in the short run.

Another Gallup poll released Tuesday shows that a majority of Americans – including 58 percent of Independents – view Democrats’ tactics to ram their health spending bill through Congress as an “abuse of power.” One reason for Republicans' anger may be revealed in a new question asking whether Americans believe the methods Democratic leaders used to secure passage of the bill represented "an abuse of power" or "an appropriate use" of the majority party's power in Congress. Nearly 9 in 10 Republicans see it as abuse of power, whereas a smaller majority of Democrats (70%) call it an appropriate use of power. The majority of independents agree with most Republicans on this question.

http://ow.ly/1tEYu